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APPLETON, Wis. (WFRV) – Valley Packaging Industries, Inc. (VPI) launched a new program that furthers its dedication to empowering individuals with physical and/or cognitive disabilities.
Inclusion Clothing Co is a clothing store designed to empower their pre-employment clients and provide hands-on training for those looking to join the workforce or pursue a path in the apparel printing industry.
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“We work on a lot of different lines with napkins and paper plates, and we do a lot of displays,” said Amy Jansen. “In here, I work on the heat press.”
From shipping and packaging to managing and designing an apparel store, VPI is teaching its clients to do it all.
“They help prepare us to succeed working at a job in the community,” said Jansen. “It’s fun, and we’ve learned a lot of different skills.”
With the help of Inclusion Clothing Co, Amy is taking away what she’s learned and turning it into a passion and hobby outside of VPI.
“It’s just something that I’ve always loved to do, and I love making stuff,” beamed Jansen. “I’ve made pants, I’ve made shirts, I’ve made sweatshirts, I’ve made pajamas… all with using my own sewing machine.”
To Amy Jansen, the most exciting part about developing so many skills at VPI is the reactions she receives from other people in the community.
“I’ve had people ask me about one of my favorite shirts that I made, where I bought it, and I had to tell him that I hand-made it,” explained Jansen. “They were speechless because they didn’t realize that I was able to make something like that.”
Allie Lucht, VPI’s Marketing and Development Manager, told Local 5’s Samantha Petters that this new hands-on training is just another way to show their commitment to fostering inclusivity throughout the community.
“We really love giving him the opportunity to discover these skills so then they can go out into the community and get jobs doing things that maybe they would’ve been overlooked for initially because they may have a disability,” said Lucht.
Lucht said that one of the benefits of the program is seeing how eager clients are to develop new skills and embrace the role of serving their community.
“Really, our hope is that this shows people that even if somebody has a disability, they’re capable, and they’re able to go out and do jobs that everyone else does,” explained Lucht. “We know all of our clients are very capable of doing these things… sometimes they just need a little extra helping hand to get there.”
With a collection featuring trendy T-shirts and hoodies, Inclusion Clothing Co. embodies the spirit of diversity and promotes inclusion in style.
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“All of our items have these inclusive and inspiring messages on them,” said Lucht. “We hope that this also helps the community understand that inclusion is important and necessary to have a relief thriving community thriving community.”
To learn more about the program or shop from the Inclusion Clothing Co., you can visit their online site.
